This
updated full-color guide to colored gems provides concise yet
comprehensive information on quality evaluation, price comparison, gem
identification, cutting styles, treatments, fake stones, optical
effects, gem care and geographic sources. Many of the gems are shown
mounted in striking designer jewelry. There are 323 new color photos and
several new gem species and varieties in this new Third Edition. Also
included are interesting historical facts mixed with scientific data and
a bit of folklore. Written for consumers and professionals, the
Gemstone Buying Guide is a practical, well-illustrated resource for
buying, identifying and caring for colored gems. If you want to become a
savvy buyer and learn how to select colored gemstones, then you’ll find
the Gemstone Buying Guide a fascinating and valuable resource.

"If you
are at all involved in buying and using gemstones you probably already
own the previous edition of this wonderfully useful book. But much has
transpired in the gem world in the 13 years since that edition. New
gemstones have become popular and new treatments and imitations have
appeared. Renée Newman’s completely revised third edition will bring you
up to speed.

The
first six chapters focus on all the factors affecting quality: color,
shape and cutting style, clarity and transparency, treatment status,
carat weight, and more. Each of these is discussed in detail, well
illustrated with helpful examples and references to actual dollar
values. As this is principally a colored gemstones book, color receives
an especially thorough treatment. Hue, saturation, uniformity, and other
factors are explained and well illustrated, along with discussions of
how lighting affects color and even psychological factors. A brief
section discusses phenomenal stones such as stars and cats-eyes.

The
next three chapters discuss treatments and processes, synthetic stones,
and “deceptive practices.” Here is where much has taken place since the
previous edition was published. And perhaps we should be heartened by
the fact that the Deceptive Practices chapter is only three pages long,
in light of Pliny the Elder’s famous statement from almost 2000 years
ago that “There is no fraud or deceit in the world which yields greater
gain and profit than that of counterfeiting gems.”

Then
follows the largest section of the book, “Gemstone Descriptions” (78
pages). Here, each variety is discussed and illustrated along with
technical data, history, sourcing, pricing, and important factors to
look out for when buying. Of course this includes all the usual
gemstones you would expect, but with updated information. And there are
some (e.g., danburite, kyanite) added since the previous edition
as well as some (e.g., ammolite) that have since come into wider
usage. (Some of these “exotic” gems are more fully treated in Newman’s
series of “Exotic Gems” books.) The book ends with a chapter on caring
for your gems; useful charts of hardness, refractive index, and density;
and a bibliography and index.

One
point to be aware of is that this edition is one inch narrower than the
previous one, so illustrations are a tiny bit smaller. The upside is
that the newer edition is more convenient to carry on those gem shopping
sprees. This book advertises itself as “straight talk on buying gems”
and that’s precisely what it delivers. Like all of Ms. Newman’s gem
books the writing is clear, concise, and helpful. The previous edition
was reprinted nine times, just to give you some idea of how well
regarded her gemstone writings are. So if you are still holding on to
your dog-eared previous edition, it’s time to update. And if you’ve
never owned any version at all you are in for a real treat."

Eric Hoffman, ASJRA (Association for the Study of Jewelry and Related
Arts) Newsletter

This
third edition is a completely revised version of the Gemstone Buying
Guide, and it has been updated with well-rounded information that is
organized into 12 chapters:

Chapter 1 explains coloured gemstone pricing
factors.

Chapters 2–6 explain how to examine a stone
according to the ‘4 Cs’ (cut, carat, colour and clarity).

Chapter 7
is a short section on cat’s-eye and star stones.

Chapters
8–9 cover various treatment processes and the identification features
useful for dis-tinguishing between natural and synthetic gem-stones.

Chapter
10 warns the reader about practices done with the intent to deceive the
gemstone buyer.

Chapter
11 provides 77 pages describing the history, characteristics and sources
of the more important gem varieties on the market, organized
alphabetically.

Chapter
12 concludes with a short but nonetheless important section on how to
care for your gems.

The
final pages contain a tabulation of birthstones and anniversary stones,
followed by a list of gem varieties in order of descending Mohs
hardness.

The book includes several
new gem varieties that were not covered in previous editions. It is also
a ‘feast for the eye’, with 356 colour images by a variety of
photographers. Newman once again included several of my photos, which I
greatly appreciate. She has also conveyed captivating historical
information on the gems that she profiles.

The book
is an excellent tool for the novice, as well as for knowledgeable
members of the gem and jewel-lery trade. I recommend Newman’s book to
anybody buying or selling gemstones.

Mia Dixon, Journal of Gemology

Reviews
of the Second Edition

"Far
more than a buying guide, it is one of the finest collections of gem
photographs I’ve ever seen. The book is a
delight for family and guests when laid on your coffee table...The amount
of work in this book is to be believed only by holding it in your hands.
If you see the book, you will probably purchase it on the spot."

Anglic
Gemcutter

"An
excellent book for the photographs alone, but such a concise way to
inform the reader of the many aspects of gemmology and jewellery buying is
superb. In an easy-to-read format, Renée
Newman has been able to capture the fundamentals of buying coloured
gemstones, including jade, opal, topaz, garnet, ruby spinel, chalcedony
and tourmaline. The book is illustrated with excellent color photographs,
gemstone description charts, and information on evaluating colour and
transparency.

The author advises in detail on the majority of gems available to the
consumer, including research material on treatments, synthetic stones and
styles of cuts. The book discusses prices for each of the gems outlined,
as well as quality, evaluation, cleaning and care.

I found this book a pleasure to read and to look at, and have referred
back to it many times to verify my own experiences. I recommend this book
to all lay people who want to buy gemstones and to gemmologists who need
to be reminded of the importance of the buying process–something which
we sometimes take for granted."

Canadian
Gemmologist

"Comprehensive,
factual and well-presented...Particularly noteworthy in this book are
the quality colour photographs that have been carefully chosen to
illustrate the text.This is a quality buying guide that is recommendedfor purchase to consumers, gemologists, and students of gemmology—irrespective
of their standard of knowledge of gemmology"

Australian
Gemmologist

"Certainly
successful. It is worth having for both novices and more experiences
lapidaries and gem buyers.
Novices will be able to learn enough to keep from making costly mistakes,
while the more experienced gem buyers and lapidaries can use it for
reference...

Newman discusses important topics such as how to judge phenomenal stones,
discern deceptive practices and differentiate between various treatments.
These aspects are well-covered in the text and are accompanied by
excellent color photographs, charts, tables, line drawings and graphs.

Newman’s well-illustrated chapter on shape and cut is particularly
useful to students and new buyers of gems since it introduces all the
outstanding new cuts that might puzzle cautious buyers.

Readers will learn about color grading, how light affects color, and how
color affects the price of gemstones. The chapter on treatments includes
filling, impregnation, coating, diffusion and dyeing. Heat treating and
irradiation are also discussed along with a list of stones commonly
enhanced by irradiation techniques.

The last part of the book has descriptions of gem species and varieties,
again with excellent illustrations. Prospective customers learn about
hardness, toughness, density, refraction, pleochroism and reaction to heat
and chemicals."

Lapidary
Journal

"Concise,
up-to-date and accompanied by very fine photographs...With
colour on almost every opening, few could resist this book whether or not
they were in the gemstone and jewelry trade or were gemologists. Here the
reader is given all the information needed to show the customer what a
stone is, interesting facts about particular species and advice on
cleaning and conservation. Some properties have to be given but they are
introduced before the stones are described. Since this is not a gem
testing book but an introduction to appraising gemstones, we are shown how
to evaluate cuts, styles, color, inclusions –all with a view to
establishing a specimen within an acceptable order of value as far as is
possible. Treatments, phenomenal stones and synthetic stones are also
described."